Spectrum (rocket)
 | |
 Render of the Spectrum rocket taking off from the launchpad | |
| Function | Orbital launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Isar Aerospace |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Size | |
| Height | 28 m (92 ft) |
| Diameter | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) |
| Payload to SSO | |
| Mass | 700 kg (1,500 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Operational |
| Launch sites |
|
| Total launches | 2 |
| Success(es) | 1 |
| Failure | 1 |
| First flight | 30 March 2025 |
| Last flight | 5 September 2026 |
| First stage | |
| Powered by | 9 x Aquila |
| Propellant | Propane/LOX |
| Second stage | |
| Powered by | 1 x Aquila |
| Propellant | Propane/LOX |
| Country of origin | Germany |
|---|---|
| Designer | Isar Aerospace |
| Manufacturer | Isar Aerospace |
| Application |
|
| Status | Operational |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | LOX / Propane |
| Cycle | Gas-generator cycle |
| Performance | |
| Thrust, sea-level | 75 kN (17,000 lbf) |
| Used in | |
| Spectrum | |
Spectrum is a two-stage orbital small-lift launch vehicle built by German company Isar Aerospace. Development of the Spectrum commenced during the 2010s. Much of its design has been produced internally. A key target during development was the price point of €10,000 ($11,700) per kg, as well as to be as flexible as possible as to suit a wide variety of payload requirements. Isar Aerospace has arranged to launch Spectrum from both the Andøya Spaceport in Norway and the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. Early customers for the launcher include Airbus Defence and Space, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and Spaceflight, Inc.
Spectrum is the first rocket developed/built in Germany to reach orbit, the first orbital rocket to launch successfully from the European continent (european rockets had previously only launched from the Kourou spaceport), and the first privately developed launch vehicle from Europe. Previously, three rockets developed in Germany had crossed the Kármán line (the V-2 in 1944; a rocket by the Berthold-Seliger research and development company in 1963; and the Mapheus sounding rocket in 2009).